Meanwhile.
Half an hour ago.
When Zhang Wei was talking with Huang Qingshan and the others.
This was a cemetery, or more precisely, a graveyard.
At this moment.
As a burst of Buddhist light bloomed.
"Amitabha~"
A distant Buddhist chant emerged from the light, and in an instant, Wu Nian, Zhang Chao, and the others appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the graveyard.
"Finally out."
Zhang Chao exclaimed, but before he could catch his breath.
He looked up.
He noticed the graveyard ahead.
The marble gate pillars of the graveyard looked mottled and cracked, clearly showing their age. This graveyard was built at least seventy or eighty years ago.
Looking in from the graveyard gate, the interior was not the terrifying scene of scattered graves and overgrown weeds as expected. A gravel path extended from the gate into the graveyard, with vibrant flowers and lush trees on both sides.
At first glance, it felt less like a graveyard and more like a well-maintained and green park.
Yet, in this beautiful 'park'.
The sky was overcast, like the day before a storm, dim and oppressively strange, forming a stark contrast with the park. It was as if the heavens and earth were not the same world; the heavens were dark, and the earth was light, inverting people's perception of the heavens and earth.
"It seems we haven't escaped."
Zhang Chao murmured upon seeing this.
Yesterday, they were on a mission to pursue and apprehend a ghost of the Red-Clothed Fiend level.
As a result, the Red-Clothed Fiend seemed prepared, trapping them in a location from which they could not leave and had lost contact with the outside world.
However.
Although it took some time, it was fortunate that Wu Nian was there.
He had descended to the mortal world for training, and his sect had given him powerful Buddhist artifacts. With Wu Nian's Buddhist artifacts, they broke free from the confinement and arrived at this graveyard.
For ordinary people.
They might think they had escaped.
But Zhang Chao, Wu Nian, and the others present were not ordinary people; each of them was a ghost exorcist.
The beautiful graveyard exuded a faint aura of Yin energy in their eyes.
Clearly.
The graveyard was not as it appeared on the surface.
In response.
Wu Nian raised one hand in a prayer gesture, while the other hand turned a string of ancient Buddhist beads.
"Amitabha~"
A distant Buddhist chant was recited.
Ch!
The string of ancient Buddhist beads in his hand emitted a magnificent Buddhist light, with faint chanting sounds emanating from it, as if thousands of Buddhist monks were chanting together, soothing the mind and bringing a sense of spring breeze.
Accompanied by the dazzling Buddhist light.
Looking at the graveyard ahead again.
A horrifying scene unfolded.
The graveyard ahead, like a mirage, twisted and shimmered before dissipating, revealing the true scenery ahead.
At this moment.
Looking at the graveyard ahead, there was no longer any gravel path or vibrant flowers and trees on both sides. Instead, the road was muddy, with graves everywhere, stretching out as far as the eye could see, seemingly without end, extending towards the dim, overcast sky and merging with the horizon.
It was truly terrifying.
Looking around, gravestones were scattered haphazardly, with graves of all sizes overgrown with weeds, presenting a scene of a desolate mass grave filled with ghostly energy. As the Yin wind blew, ghostly wails could be heard.
Zhang Chao couldn't help but mutter:
"It feels like we've just escaped the tiger's den and entered the wolf's lair."
At this time.
A voluptuous woman beside Zhang Chao also spoke:
"Everyone be careful. They can create a ghost domain at least the size of a large graveyard. The Red-Clothed Fiend we were pursuing couldn't possibly do this. It must be another ghost, a stronger one."
She was the captain of this team, and also Zhang Chao's cousin, Zhang Mei.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They were well aware of the characteristics of ghost domains.
The size of a ghost domain represented the strength of the ghost. The larger the ghost domain, the stronger the ghost that created it.
"Wu Nian, can your Buddhist beads artifact take us out of this ghost domain?"
Zhang Chao asked Wu Nian.
He knew Wu Nian's Buddhist beads were powerful, having been carried by five or six successive abbots of Mount Wutai, and imbued with profound Buddhist teachings, becoming a powerful artifact.
Wu Nian shook his head:
"My artifact is powerful, but my strength is insufficient. I've already expended a lot of energy taking you out just now, and I can't take you out of a ghost domain of this scale again."
Zhang Mei patted Wu Nian's shoulder:
"It's okay, it's fine if you can't take us out. We'll go directly into the graveyard to find that ghost, and we'll still be able to get out of the ghost domain."
The other two team members also agreed.
"Anyway, this mission was to catch the Red-Clothed Fiend, and now we'll catch one more."
"It's actually good that you can't take us out. It's a good opportunity to catch this ghost. A ghost that can create such a large ghost domain cannot be left unchecked."
There were two ways to exit a ghost domain.
One was to break through the ghost domain with one's own powerful strength.
The other was to find the ghost that created the ghost domain within the ghost domain, because when a ghost released a ghost domain, it would also be within the ghost domain.
And now, there was nothing else in this ghost domain except the graveyard. That ghost must be in the graveyard.
"Let's go, into the graveyard."
Zhang Mei led the way into the graveyard.
They walked along the dirt path.
Along the way, they passed many graves, with gravestones of various sizes, covered in dust. Some gravestones were cracked from wind and rain, missing a corner, and some were blown askew or fallen onto the graves, appearing desolate.
As they advanced a bit further.
"Someone."
Wu Nian and Zhang Chao noticed figures moving ahead, a considerable number of them, six in total, just like them.
At this moment.
The other party also noticed them and walked towards them.
When the two parties met.
After mutual confirmation and information exchange, Zhang Mei confirmed their identities. The newcomers were also ghost exorcists, personnel supporting the Northeast Defense Department for this mission, and their situation was surprisingly the same as theirs; they had lost contact yesterday.
"You were also trapped while catching a ghost yesterday?"
Zhang Mei asked, surprised, her brow furrowed slightly.
The middle-aged man leading the other party nodded, also realizing the strangeness of the situation.
Then, as if thinking of something.
The middle-aged man quickly asked:
"By the way, Captain Zhang, as you came, did you encounter any other teams?"
"No, we didn't," Zhang Mei noticed the change in the middle-aged man's expression. "What? Captain Li, did you encounter other teams?"
Captain Li nodded solemnly.
"About 10 minutes ago, we encountered them. They were also trapped yesterday and appeared here, but they weren't here to support the Northeast Defense Department; they were from the local Northeast Defense Department."
As he spoke.
Zhang Mei and the others were stunned.
Another team trapped while catching a ghost?!
For a moment, their brows furrowed even deeper.
If it were just Captain Li's team, it could be considered a coincidence; perhaps the ghost they were chasing was the ghost of this ghost domain.
But if one team was a coincidence, what about two teams?
No, it was three teams now.
Perhaps there were other teams like them, and if that were the case, then...
Immediately.
Zhang Mei and the middle-aged man exchanged information.
"Where were you trapped while catching a ghost? We were trapped in Harbin City while catching a fiend," the middle-aged man asked.
Zhang Mei was startled:
"Harbin City? I was catching a Red-Clothed Fiend in Daxing Mountain. By the way, what about the other team you encountered? Where are they from?"
The middle-aged man replied solemnly:
"They are from Suihua City, next to Harbin City."
He couldn't help but curse:
"Damn it, I thought they just happened to be chasing a ghost near Harbin City. Now it seems not. I remember Daxing Mountain is quite far from Harbin City and Suihua City."
Even in his delayed realization, the middle-aged man, after meeting Zhang Mei, realized he had been mistaken.
Three ghost exorcists from different places, and quite far apart, being trapped in the same ghost domain, it didn't make sense.
Moreover...
Perhaps there weren't just these three teams.
...